While many histories of World War II have recounted the grim atrocities perpetrated by Japanese soldiers on civilians and POWs, few have attempted to explain how and why such barbarity could have occurred. What led to the assault on Nanking? How could one in four Allied POWs die in captivity? Meticulously researched, using Japanese and British consultants, this feature-length program examines the political and economic factors, as well as the mindset of those involved. Rarely seen archive footage and interviews with former Japanese soldiers, kamikazes, Allied POWs, and victims of the wartime cruelty reveal the complex truth behind the horror.